Maid in America

Complete Plastic Pipes Conference papers now online

North Yorkshire, U.K. — The Plastic Pipes Conference Association (PPCA) has a new website that will provide technical and commercial information for the plastic pipe industry worldwide. As of today, the association has published an online database that contains all of its papers since the first 1970 conference in Southampton, U.K.

More than 1,000 papers are included in what represents a major resource for the world of plastic pipe technology. This collection of presentations covers a wide spectrum of subject matter that ranges from highly technical aspects to valuable insights into the business forces that continue to drive the industry forward. It includes landmark reference projects, novel applications, installation methods and design, environmental issues, technical standards and testing, new systems and prototyping, raw materials and additives, scientific advances, no-dig solutions, manufacturing expertise as well as industry and trade aspects.

Chairman of the PPCA is Adolf Seidl, Managing Director of Solvay in Austria. “As an organization, our members are dedicated to providing reliable and relevant information on plastic pipe systems,” explains Seidl. “For obvious reasons, most plastic pipe systems are buried underground or at least kept out of sight. But this does not mean they are without a voice on a world platform. This website will complement our conference activities by delivering the spoken and written word that reflects almost 45 years of expertise and experience.”

The first conference was organized by the Plastics and Rubber Institute. PPCA was specifically founded in 2002 to organize and run the series of conferences and exhibitions on behalf of the international plastic pipe industry. Its member associations comprise the Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI), PE100+ Association, PVC4Pipes Association and the European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association (TEPPFA).

PPI is the major trade association in North America representing all segments of the industry. Tony Radoszewski who is President of the PPI and vice chairman of the PPCA is impressed with the online service. “PPCA is a dynamic channel for sharing information, ideas resolution, ideas exploration and technical know-how. We now have a useful and I believe influential online interface that will encompass regional and global issues. It will save time through less trawling. It will serve as an oracle for a technology that is in a constant state of change. It will inspire since ideas and good applications can be invented anywhere in the world - as long as we know about them!”

Detailed analysis

Steve Tan, Executive Director for the Brussels-based PVC4Pipes Association agrees: “We are all aware of the contribution that our systems have made in the past to public health, sanitation and well-being the world over. But when it comes to the future, we have to anticipate tomorrow’s needs. These needs are becoming more complex and require a more detailed analysis - especially given the importance of sustainability and the low environmental impact of our systems. Over a million words prescribe and describe our technology within this unique and transparent database.”

PE100+ Association has just marked its 15th anniversary. President and Chairman is Pierre Belloir who is also Technical Manager at Total Refining and Chemicals. “When we set up our association in 1999, our aim was to guarantee that our pipe materials meet the highest possible requirements. Non-plastic pipe materials age quickly and have had their day. From Chile to China, stakeholders have an ever increasing need to know about the reliability, installation and quality performance of plastic pipe systems. This online database will serve as an extensive reference medium for those who deliver the world’s gas, water, sewer and telecom services and for those who design and construct the building environment. “

Communication

TEPPFA is the voice of the plastic pipes and fittings industry in Europe and has done much to promote recycling schemes and develop Environmental Product Declarations for a wide range of plastic pipe systems. Tony Calton, General Manager of TEPPFA has a clear view of the communication’s value attached to the new website: “There are a lot of misconceptions about our industry and fiction can often be more appealing than fact. But what the PPCA conference papers reveal is an industry that understands the meaning of listening, the value of dialogue and the scientific need to know more and walk the talk.”

A total of 130 presentations will be delivered during Plastic Pipes XVII in Chicago’s Swissôtel, September 22-24, 2014. Sponsors for this event include Rollepaal and Battenfeld-Cincinnati as the main corporate diamond level sponsors as well as Dow Chemical and Baerlocher Group at gold level, Chevron Phillips, LyondellBasell, MOL, Gas Technology Institute and Krauss-Maffei Corporation at the silver level, as well as Floridienne Chimie and others.